Executive Summary

HPV screening: Primary human papilloma virus DNA screening with Qiagen/Digene's Hybrid Capture 2 followed by cytology triage is more sensitive in detecting cervical lesions than conventional cytology screening, according to a large-scale Finnish study published in the Dec. 2 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In women 35 or older, the method also showed greater specificity and decreased colposcopy referrals and follow-up tests. An accompanying editorial by Eduardo L. Franco, McGill University, notes that as more young women who have received the HPV vaccine reach screening age, "the reduced prevalence of abnormalities may adversely affect the performance of cytology if it is left as the sole screening test.